Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Celebrating justice or vengence

Now that the US Military finally cornered and killed Osama bin Laden a national debate has emerged about the appropriateness of celebrating the death of an evil man.

It was surreal to hear newscasters and politicians proudly beam about the death of anyone, even someone who deserved worse. It's clear that there's an element of vengeance here, but as Bryan Caplan has written, what's wrong with revenge?

I can't speak for anyone else, but I was happy because we finally found him and stopped him. I think if we had captured him unscathed it would still be a cause for celebration and you'd still hear joyous cries of "we got him." After nearly 10 years, I'd given up hope we'd ever catch up to him, and I wasn't even sure he was alive anymore.And just because he's dead doesn't mean we should hold back our joy of ending a long, long manhunt for a mass murderer. Following the death of Jerry Falwell, Christopher Hitchens wasn't shy about reminding the public of the awful things the reverend did in life.

I respect peoples who are opposed to celebrating the death of an enemy, but I hope they don't lose sight of the tremendous good that just happened - and remember there is a victory behind the bloodshed. I hope they can find some comfort in knowing a very guilty man will no longer be enjoying a life on the run and a terrorist network is missing a spiritual leader.

"I was happy because we finally found him and stopped him. I think if we had captured him unscathed it would still be a cause for celebration and you'd still hear joyous cries of 'we got him.'"

I am glad that you said this. It is easy to conflate the underlying celebration of him being stopped and found with the celebration of his death. If he was captured alive, then it would be clear who wanted blood and who did not.

To be honest, I am quite surprised that the question of whether or not we should celebrate his death has gained such volume in our country. It's a good question to reflect on. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!